Thursday, 28 May 2015

Products which have non-homogeneous textures due to the presence of, for example, dried fruits, vegetables or nuts or consist of different layers to provide more interest to the consumer may present a testing challenge.

In some instances, using the Ottawa or Kramer shear cell would require a force beyond the existing load capacity for the texture analyser. Other options such as a standard penetration test on a non-uniform product may have low reproducibility.

Tuesday, 26 May 2015

Most of us obsess over flavour of everything from ice cream to chocolate – but the professionals know that crispiness, creaminess and chewiness is just as important.

"The magic begins here," reads the website for Ingredion, a company whose Texture Centre of Excellence helps the food industry achieve the perfect consistency for their products.

Texture is big business and the science of food structure even has its own 'ology: food rheology. But the professionals know all too well that, while the sensory spotlight may fall on flavour when we're savouring a mouthful, get the texture wrong and it's game over – we'll reject it outright.